Crocodile brushed the ash off the cigar clenched between his teeth.

Even when facing Doflamingo's broad grin, his expression remained as cold and indifferent as ever.

The look he gave Doflamingo was no different from how one might stare at a rock.

Earlier, in Alabasta, he had been humiliated by Ian—perhaps Ian didn't see it as humiliation, but Crocodile could not accept it at all.

He could not accept that he had become so weak that he couldn't even withstand Ian's Conqueror's Haki, becoming someone he despised most: a weakling.

Realizing that what he had been desperately searching for was taken away by Ian, Crocodile did not hesitate.

He left Alabasta and returned to the New World.

He was determined to reclaim the power he once possessed!

In the New World, Crocodile quickly settled down and formed an assassin organization.

He handpicked assassins from the pirates of the New World, then took contracts in the underground world.

As long as someone could pay the price, no matter the target, Crocodile and his killers would take their lives without hesitation.

And so, Crocodile lived a peaceful life, getting rich through hard work.

Until this time, when he received an invitation from Doflamingo.

Doflamingo said he wanted to discuss a big deal with him.

"Heh heh heh, quite impatient," Doflamingo lounged lazily on the sofa, his hands resting on the backrest.

Though dressed in a finely tailored royal outfit, and a figure renowned across the seas, at this moment he looked more like a rogue.

"How do you see the current situation in the New World, Crocodile?"

Crocodile showed no intention of answering.

He silently puffed on his cigarette, his gaze fixed on Doflamingo as if looking at a clown.

Doflamingo didn't seem to care much and continued speaking to himself.

"The four Pirate Emperors already occupy most of the New World's territory. The remaining areas mostly belong to the World Government."

"It seems like there's almost no place left for us to stand in this sea."

"What exactly are you trying to say?"

Crocodile asked impatiently.

"What's predictable is that, given the current situation in the New World, we probably have no chance to take part in the final battle for supremacy."

Doflamingo's expression darkened.

That bastard Ian called him a close brother but never truly respected him.

And there was nothing he could do about it.

Ian's strength and influence were simply beyond his reach.

As time went on, Doflamingo felt more and more pressure.

He was far weaker now than when he first met Ian three years ago.

Not to mention Ian, who now stood at the top of the world as a Pirate Emperor — even Charlotte Linlin was defeated by him.

That guy was a real monster.

No matter how unwilling Doflamingo was to admit it, he had to accept the gap between them.

Continuing to fight alone like this, he would never catch up to Ian.

So, the only option was to band together.

To fight as brother pirates!

Crocodile furrowed his brow slightly.

"Let's cooperate, Crocodile," Doflamingo said. "If we want to compete against those monsters, we need more power!"

If we can't beat them with quality, then we have to compete with quantity.

"Cooperate?"

Crocodile took another puff of his cigarette but didn't answer immediately.

"Hohoho! No need to rush your answer. Let's just enjoy today's celebration first!"

Doflamingo laughed loudly as he stood up.

Just then, the door to the reception hall was pushed open, and an excited Trebol walked in.

"Doflamingo, the ceremony is about to begin!"

How could he not be excited?

Although they had forgotten exactly what they had done before, this country finally belonged to the Donquixote family!

"Hehehe! Then let's go!"

Doflamingo's coronation ceremony was held in the grand hall of the palace.

Elite figures from all walks of Dressrosa had been invited to witness the event.

No one thought anything was amiss.

After all, the country had no king, and having a powerful Seven Warlord of the Sea recognized by the government become the new king was not hard to accept.

The Donquixote family's officials gathered beneath the throne.

Everyone's faces were filled with joy.

From today onward, they were not just pirates — they were now the country's high officials!

Crocodile sat alone in a corner of the hall.

He was curious too — how had Doflamingo managed this?

Taking over a country was easy, but getting the World Government to recognize a pirate as a king? That was very difficult.

Even if he was a Warlord.

Amidst the cheers of the crowd, Doflamingo appeared.

He wore a magnificent ceremonial outfit and a red cloak studded with jewels.

Under the loud encouragement of the Donquixote family members, he walked up to the throne.

The priest, who had been waiting nearby for a long time, handed him the crown.

Doflamingo took the crown by himself and placed it on his head.

At that very moment, the cheers almost shook the entire palace as if it would collapse.

"From today onward!"

Doflamingo declared proudly to everyone inside the palace, "I am the king of this country!"

The prearranged Den Den Mushi transmitted his voice through radio waves, and the Den Den Mushis placed throughout the city immediately spread his voice to every corner of the nation.

Thus, the cheers began to spread nationwide, as all the people celebrated the birth of their new king.

Inside the palace.

The radiant smile on Doflamingo's face could no longer be contained.

This was the first step!

Next, he would win over more people, gather more power, and charge towards the highest position!

He was the man who was going to become the Pirate King—

Crack.

A bolt of lightning suddenly appeared out of nowhere, converging in the ranks of the Donquixote family.

It condensed into a man with very long earlobes.

Everyone was stunned for a moment.

Who was this guy? Where did he come from?

Doflamingo's expression changed sharply.

"You are—!!"

He recognized the man carrying the golden thunder drum on his back, his gaze cold and indifferent.

He had seen him before at the auction!

"A subordinate of Ian!!"

The entire place fell silent.

Ian?

The residents of Dressrosa wore frightened expressions.

There was no other Ian in the world — had the Pirate Emperor set his sights on this country?

The executives of the Donquixote family also looked grim.

Though they had forgotten exactly what they had done, there was one thing they clearly knew.

This matter must never be known by Ian!

Crocodile narrowed his eyes.

That guy Doflamingo had a cooperative relationship with Ian.

But now it seemed this officer under Ian's command was not here to congratulate Doflamingo.

Enel didn't care at all about the chaos he had caused; he quietly scanned the ranks of the Donquixote family members.

Then he raised his right hand.

Smack!

A shining bolt of lightning shot out like a bullet from a gun.

In the next moment, when no one was prepared, the thunderbolt pierced right through the body of a little girl in the crowd.

The little girl who had been quietly sneaking grapes trembled violently, then coughed out black smoke and collapsed to the ground.

Everyone in the Donquixote family was stunned.

"Sugar!!"

Doflamingo roared angrily.

**********

Support me on my patreon and read upto 20 early chapters.

patreon.com/PirateKing24